Stocking top



Oct. 12, 1937. DAVls 2,095,924

STOCKING TOP Filed Sept. 3, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Z --r' 5 i l.

LvenZy-H 57/ 0 a;- ZIDM zii R. E. DAVIS STOCKING TOP Oct. 12, 1937.

Filed Sept. 3, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented. Oct. 12, 1937 jUNITED-STATES PATENT OFFICE STOCKING TOP Robert E. Davis, Fort Payne,Ala., assignor to W. B. Davis & Son, Inc., Fort Payne, Ala., acorporation of Alabama Application September 8 Claims.

I This invention relates to a rib knit fabric and particularly acircular knit fabric as produced on a multi-feed circular rib knittingmachine. The invention more particularly concerns a fabric, of the typenoted, having a rubber strand laid in relatively spaced courses of thestitches of which the fabric is composed.

One object of the present invention is to produce a design on theoutside of a circular knit ribbed fabric of the type above noted, partlyby the main knitting threads fed to the needles at the various feedsrespectively, and partly by supplemental threads plated over said mainthreads on predetermined stitch wales and which will coordinate withsaid main threads to form'the design and provide-a fabric especiallyadapted for use as the tops of childrens hosiery, etc;

Other features of the invention and the construction of the fabric indetail will be fully disclosed hereinafter, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, of which:

Fig. 1 diagrammatically illustrates a childs sock with a figured rib topmade in accordance with the present invention; and

Fig. 2 diagrammatically illustrates the stitch formation of the fabricof the stocking top shown in Fig. 1.

The present invention more especially relates to the knitting of aribbed top on a small diameter circular rib knitting machine whichnormally is provided with but two feeds and wherein each feed includestwo main yarn thread feeding fingers and means for selectively wrappingpre determined needles with supplemental threads to form vertical, 1. e.walewise stripes, and means for selectively operating the two main yarnfeeding fingers, for changing the yarn in the foundation fabric toproduce horizontal, i. e. coursewise, stripes.

Machines capable of producing fabric in the above noted manner are quiteold and well known in the art. Due to the small diameter of the needlecylinders, in such machines, it has been thought to be necessary tolimit the machines to two feeds, in order to accommodate the neces- 3,1936, Serial No. 99,283 (01. 66-172) ment between the needle cylinderand dial and the cams which operate the cylinder and dial needles.

The present case is predicated upon the application of a third feed tothe normally two feed machine above noted, said third feed being ofsimple construction, without yarn change or needle wrapping, andincluding a finger for laying a rubber thread into the course ofstitches produced at and by the additional third feed; whereby theproduction rate of the machine is increased fifty per cent and wherebyit is possible to lay a rubber thread in every third course of stitches,without sacrificing yarn changing or needle wrapping at the two originalfeeds.

In a fabric produced on a machine modified as above noted one thread isconstantly fed from the additional feed and knit to form every thirdcourse of stitches throughout the length. of the fabric, the twooriginal feeds respectively produc- 4 ping will be interrupted at thethird course produced by the additional feed, leaving blank spots in theplating.

One object of the present invention is to so arrange and select theplating threads with respectto the constant thread of the third feedthat no blank spots will appear in the design, as would be caused bynon-wrapping at the third feed as above noted.

The drawings show a stocking topA composed of successive stitch courseseries or repeats A A A etc., each series containing, in the presentinstance, three stitch co ses I, 2, 3. The thread a of course i of eachseries is constant as to color and kind throughout the length of thefabric, being fed by the additional or supplemental feed of the machineas above noted; the thread I) of course 2 of each series is variable asto kind and/or color, being fed by one or the other of the two yarnfingers at one of the normal or original feeds of the machine; and the,thread c of course 3 of each series is likewise variable 2 and 3 of eachcourse series are plated with supplemental threads 6 and 1 respectively.These threads normally lie in front of the body or main threads at and bin said wales, in the courses 2 and 3. In the courses I, due to the factthat no needle wrapping mechanism is located at the supplemental feed,the plating threads 6 and I pass to the back of the fabric and floatwalewise thereof across each of the courses I, I, as indicated at 8 and9 respectively,

which normally would form a blank spot in the design on the face of thefabric.

In order to prevent such blank spots the main or body thread a, fed tothe needles by the supplemental feed, is preferably of a kind and colorcorresponding to the kind and color of one of the plating or wrappingthreads and in the present case is shown as corresponding to the platingthread 6,. hence the spot 8 at which this thread passes to the back ofthe fabric, instead of being blank and showing an interruption in theplating on the wale 4, is closed by a body stitch I0 composed of themain or body knitting thread a, which as noted is of the same kind andcolor as the plating thread 6.

In cases where the second plating thread I is the same color and kind asthe plating thread 6, the design produced would be in the form ofblocks, the centers of which would be composed of foundation yarns band0 which would be of a color or colors differing from the color of thefoundation yarn a and plating threads 6 and 1, and fed by the two normalfeeds of the machine in courses 2 and 3 respectively, while thehorizontal lines defining the tops and bottoms of the blocks would beformed by the foundation yarn a fed by the additional feed in the courseI, the vertical lines defining or depicting the sides of the blocksbeing formed by the plating threads 6 and I of the same color as thebody thread a.

In cases where the plating threads 6 and i are of different colors, withone being the same color as the body thread a and the other being of adifferent color and also different from either of the body threads I)and c in all or in the majority of the course series A A A etc., orwhere one of the body threads I) or c is changed in predeterminedrelatively spaced series A A A etc., to agree in color with the platingthread I, the effect obtained is that of a plaid.

In Fig. 2 the body thread b in course 2 in one of the course series isshown as being of the same kind and color as the plating thread i, asindicated at 21), to produce the plaid effect shown in Fig. 1.

The upper end of the top A is provided with a welt B which isconstructed in the same manner as the top A, i. e. in course series orrepeats of courses I, 2 and 3 composed of body or foundation thread a,b, 0 respectively.

The lower edge of the top A is knit, sewn, looped, or otherwise securedto the leg portion C of the stocking.

In order to make the sock or stocking selfsupporting a rubber thread IIis laid in each of the courses I of each course series A A A etc., or inpredetermined course series only, as desired, thus spacing the strandsII and provid ing sufficient elasticity to enable the top to yieldfreely without uncomfortably binding but at the same time to clingfirmly to the limb of the wearer.

The rubber strands H are held in the fabric between the front wales 4and back wales 5 without being knit into the'courses I in which therubber strands are laid, although, if and when desired the rubberfeeding finger may be set or operated to feed the rubber thread II tothe needles with the body yarn a to knit-in the rubber with the bodyyarn at or in the welt B, at or adjacent the line of connection betweenthe top A and the leg C, and or at desired places within the top Aintermediate the welt B and leg C to keep the rubber from being pulledout at its ends and from slipping through the courses I.

Obviously, the stocking top A shown in Fig. 1 could be made on a regularthree feed machine when making large size stocking tops and wherein themachines are of sufiiciently large diameter to permit of the use ofthree normal feeds each provided with yarn changing mechanism includingmultiple yarn feeding fingers and needle wrapping means and a rubberinlay attachment at one of the feeds, or by using one feeding finger atone feed as a rubber inlaying or rubber knitting-in finger and by usingthe needle wrapping means at the other two feeds only.

I claim:

1. A circular knit ribbed fabric comprising longitudinal inside andoutside stitch wales and transverse stitch courses arranged in serieseach containing a plurality of courses composed of separate threadsrespectively, with a corresponding course in each series constantlycomposed of one yarn of predetermined color throughout the length of thefabric and the remaining courses of each series composed of yarns whichare changeable in the respective course series throughout the length ofthe fabric and with predetermined laterally spaced wales'in theremaining courses of each series respectively plated with threads of acolor similar to that of said one course, said plating threads passingbehind the stitches of said one course at the intersections of said onecourse with said plated wales, forming a design on the outside of saidfabric.

2. A circular knit ribbed fabric comprising longitudinal inside andoutside stitch wales and transverse stitch courses arranged in serieseach containing a plurality of courses composed of separate threadsrespectively, with a corresponding course in each series constantlycomposed of one yarn of predetermined color throughout the length of thefabric and the remaining courses of each series composed of yarns whichare changeable in the respective course series throughout the length'ofthe fabric and with predetermined laterally spaced wales in theremaining courses of each series respectively plated with threads of acolor similar to that of said one course, said plating threads passingbehind the stitches of said one course at the intersections of said onecourse with said plated wales, forming a design on the outside of saidfabric and an elastic thread laid in said one course in a plurality ofsaid series successively, between said inside and outside wales.

3. A circular knit ribbed fabric comprising longitudinal inside andoutside stitch wales and transverse stitch courses arranged in serieseach containing a plurality of courses composed of separate threadsrespectively, with a corresponding course in each series constantlycomposed of one yarn of predetermined color throughout the length of thefabric and the remaining courses of each series composed of yarns whichare changeable in the respective course series throughout the length ofthe fabric and with predetermined laterally spaced wales in theremaining courses of each series respectively plated with threads of acolor similar to that of said one course, said plating threads passingbehind the stitches of said one course at the intersections of said onecourse with said plated wales, forming the outlines of design on theoutside of said fabric, said remaining courses in said series beingcomposed of selectively variable colors diflerent from the color of saidoutlines, to form the body of said designs within said outlines,

4. A circular knit ribbed fabric comprising longitudinal inside andoutside stitch wales and transverse stitch courses arranged in serieseach containing a plurality of courses composed of separate threadsrespectively, with a corresponding course in each series constantlycomposed of one yarn of predetermined color throughout the length of thefabric and with predetermined later-' ally spaced wales in the remainingcourses of each series respectively plated with threads of a colorsimilar to that of said one course, said plating,

courses in said series being composed of selectively variable colorsdifierent from, the color of said outlines, to form the body of saiddesigns within said outlines and an elastic thread laid in said onecourse in a plurality of said series successively, between said insideand outside wales.

5. A circular knit ribbed fabric comprising longitudinal inside andoutside stitch wales and -transverse stitch courses arranged in serieseach longitudinal inside and outside stitch wales and threads passingbehind the stitches of said one course at the intersections of said onecourse with said plated wales, and one ofsaid remaining courses in eachof a number of relatively spaced course series being formed respectivelyof a thread difl'erent in color from that of said one course, forming atransverse stripe in each of said spaced courseseries.

6. A circular knit ribbed fabric comprising transversestitch coursesarranged in series each containing a plurality of courses composed ofseparate threads respectively; with a corresponding course in eachseries constantly composed of one yarn of predetermined color throughoutthe length of the fabric and with predetermined laterally spaced walesin the remaining courses of each series respectively plated with threadsof a color similarto that of said one course, said plating threadspassing behind the stitches of said one course at the intersections ofsaid one course with said plated wales, and one of said remainingcourses in each of a number of relatively spaced course series beingformed respectively of a thread different in color from that of said onecourse,

and together with the first said courses and thefirst said plated walesforming a plaid design on the outside of said fabric.

7. A circular knit ribbed fabric comprising longitudinal inside andoutside stitch wales and transverse stitch courses arranged in serieseach containing a plurality of courses composed of separate threadsrespectively, with a corresponding course in each series constantlycomposed of one yarn of predetermined color throughout the length of thefabric and with predetermined laterally spaced wales in the remainingcourses-of each series respectively plated with threads of a colorsimilar to that of said one course, said plating threads passing behindthe stitches of said one course at the intersections of said one coursewith said plated Wales, and one of said remaining courses in each of anumber of relatively spaced course series being formed respectively of athread different in color from that of said one course, andpredetermined outside wales lying intermediate said platedwales beingplated with threads of a color similar to that of the last said coursesand together with the first said courses and the first said plated walesforming a. plaid design on the outside of said fabric, and an elasticthread laid in said one course in a plurality of said seriessuccessively, between said inside and outside wales. V

8. A circular knit' ribbed fabric comprising longitudinal inside andoutside stitch wales and. transverse stitch courses arranged in serieseach containing a plurality of courses composed of separate threadsrespectively, with a corresponding course in each series constantlycomposed of one yarn of predetermined color throughout the length of thefabric and with predetermined laterally spaced wales in the remainingcourses of each series respectively plated with threads of a colorsimilar to that of said one course, said plating threads passing behindthe stitches of saidone course at the intersections of said one coursewith said plated wales, and one of said remaining courses in each of anumber of'relatively spacedcourse series being formed respectively of athread diflferent in color from that of said one course, andpredetermined outside wales lying intermediate said plated wales beingplated with threads of a color similar to that of the last said coursesand together with the first said courses and the first said plated walesforming a plaid design on the outside of said fabric, the residue ofsaid remaining courses being composed of threads of selectively variablecolors to form a background for said plaid design.

ROBERT E. DAVIS.

